Drink This: Pollak Vineyards 2021 Reserve Merlot
A ripe and age-worthy merlot that is a worthy splurge
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Slated to be released in April, this Pollak Vineyards 2021 Reserve Merlot ($60*) is a wine worth seeking out later in the year — even at $60.
I’m not always convinced that age-worthiness matters — if a wine is incredible today, who cares if it doesn’t get better 5, 10, or 20 years into its life? I’m not sure that I do, but that’s a conversation for another day.
This is a serious, age-worthy merlot that I’m confident will improve over time and did over four days on my tasting table. It’s also a lesson in how to use new oak. It’s there, but it supports the wine, rather than overwhelms it.
The nose is ripe with mixed cherry and plum fruit that is layered with leather, resiny herbs, roasted mushrooms, and faint hints of toasted oak. Medium-to-full bodied, the palate brings more ripe, concentrated cherry and plum that gives way to savory, earthy complexity as it sits in the glass (and open on the counter for a few days). The tannins are grippy but ripe and already approachable — and the oak is very well integrated here.
I like the ripeness of the fruit — ripe but not heavy or jammy — and the savory, umami notes bring terrific complexity. It’s splurge-worthy for sure.
Pollak Vineyards 2021 Reserve Merlot
Region: Monticello AVA (Virginia)
ABV: 13.8%
RS: 0.0 g/l
TA: 5.44 g/l
pH: 3.51
Winemaking: 16 months in French oak, 70% new
Rating: 92 pts
Price: $60* (Pre-Release)
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*sample provided by winery